The Little Things...

Today, I am thankful for the recently-finished nursery at our church.  We may be a small congregation, and my children may be the only ones using it right now, but it is such a load off of my mind to know that they have a safe place to be while we are there.  We are often there during the week day, when the office is open.  There is a lot of hustle and bustle, and it is good to know that they will be out of the way of what's going on (people moving around, pantry items getting unloaded, etc.), and that there is also space for them to spread out and play on the floor without the danger of someone tripping on a baby or a toy.  More importantly, now we have a nursery available, should a new young family start attending.  We also anticipate using it during some of the new outreaches we have planned.  The space still needs a few touches (artwork and a real changing table, for instance), but it is perfectly usable the way it is - and I'm so thankful for that!

Why Banana Bread Makes Me Thankful...

Oftentimes when I cook or bake, I can't help but be thankful for my mom.  Because she taught me how to pull odd things together out of what was on hand, my family has been enjoying a yummy Tex-Mex chicken soup this week.  No recipe, just the nudge of hungry bellies and thoughts of chicken and cumin.  It might not be something she would make, but the skills are something she gave me.

As I rolled a bag of banana chips with a rolling pin in order to crush them, I was again thankful for my mom.  She taught me that rolling pin trick, and it often saves me from having to spend time chopping things, or washing lots of food processor parts.  Tonight, it saved me from having to make a lot of noise with gadgets that might have woken sleeping kids.  From my mom, I learned how to make-do with what I have.

Mixing up a new-to-me recipe for banana bread, I thought about all the times I made banana bread with my mom... and how many times my children have made it with her.  I know too many people whose mothers didn't care to spend the time with them to teach them their own way around a kitchen.  I know too many people who do not have good relationships with their mothers now.  I know too many people who are unable to be with their mothers, even if they want to, whether by death, hardship, or distance.  I am thankful for this time we have lived near my parents, because I have gotten to spend valuable time with my mom - even if it's just sitting and chatting about idle things.  My children have developed a deeper relationship with her because of this nearness, as well.  I believe this is something they will be immensely grateful for as adults.

My mom is not perfect, and she was not the perfect mother when I was growing up.  She will be the first to admit to it.  However, she was and is there for me when I need her, and she is the mother God wanted for me.  She put her heart and soul into mothering me, and I am thankful to still see that effort when I watch her with my children.  

What I'm Thankful For Today...

My husband has been nursing a sore shoulder for the past few days.  And, tonight, as he dragged himself out of bed to head to work, I was thankful.  Thankful that even though he aches, he got up and put his uniform on.  Thankful that even though the night shift messes him up physically and mentally, stresses both of us out, and wrecks havoc with any kind of family schedule, he does what he needs to do to take care of this family.  Even when he doesn't feel like it.  Even when he's sick.  He works hard, and is a reliable employee.  I am thankful for a husband who willing and able to provide for us. 

TOS Review: Music Together

Music Together is an early childhood music program that is based on much research and encourages young children and their adult loved ones to participate together in shared music-based experiences.  The first Music Together group was opened to the public in 1987.  The four tennants of the program are that 1) All children are musical, 2) All children can achieve basic music competence - learn to sing in tune and move with accurate rhythm, 3) Participation and modeling of parents and other caregivers is essential to a child's musical growth, and 4) Growth is best achieved in a playful, musically rich, and non-performance-oriented learning environment.  For over a year I have had an interest in starting an early childhood music program at our church, so when I received these materials to review, I was thrilled!  Not many of the review items I receive are suitable for my 3 year old, let alone my almost 14 month old - I think this has been the first thing the baby has been able to do!

The package I received consisted of the Music Together Family Favorites Songbook for Teachers and the Family Favorites cd, which also had a small booklet in it.  I popped the cd into my computer, and my two little ones were bouncing and dancing almost immediately.  They loved the music, and I can honestly say there were only a couple that were not so high on my appreciation scale, which I think is pretty good for a disc aimed at small children!  There were even several songs that I found quite lovely - "She Sells Sea Shells" and "Spin and Stop", for example.  Many of the songs were written for the program, while a few are traditional songs from world cultures.  Only one is a traditional American "kids song" - "I've Been Working on the Railroad."  Interestingly enough, that was one of the ones I didn't like as much.

The Music Together Family Favorites Songbook for Teachers first gives an overview of the program, including a section on working with children with special needs.  Following that, there is printed music and words for each song, as well as activity suggestions for infants, preschoolers, and children with special needs.  A selection of rhythm instruments is suggested, such as shaker eggs and rhythm sticks.  I was able to find items around my house to work as substitutions - plastic Easter eggs filled with rice, wooden spoons, etc.  Playing with objects in a new way was part of the fun!  

Even if I don't ever use the Music Together program at church, I will surely keep using it with my little ones.  It was great to see them so engaged in the music and what we were doing together.  Little Miss is always disappointed when I tell her that I have to stop playing with her, but it helps that I let the music continue to play.  Music Together is a welcome addition to our day, and my preschooler loves anything that she considers to be her "schoolwork", so I make sure we do it while her older brother and sister are doing their own schoolwork.

The Music Together Family Favorites can be found at Music Together.  If you choose to purchase Family Favorites, don't forget that you save $5 when you buy the cd/songbook combo.  Also, use the coupon code "Schoolhouse" at checkout, and save another $2, making your total $37.95 for the set!


***Disclaimer:  I received the Music Together Family Favorites set in exchange for my review through the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  All opinions are my own.

TOS Review: Children In Church

My family has attended a "family integrated" church in the past, and while we greatly enjoyed the fellowship times outside of the church service (at least two a month), we found that our family was looking for more than just the Sunday service - the only formal instruction time this specific church offered.  As a homeschooling family, we wanted our children to be able to interact with other children in a Christian setting more often than what they were getting.  For us, it was not a matter of children in the service, but rather the lack of any instruction geared specifically toward them, such as a Sunday School class.

I was highly interested in reading Curt and Sandra Lovelace's new book, Children In Church, when the opportunity arose.  Having participated in the congregation I just described, and now working toward a ministry position in a denomination that definitely encourages childrens church, youth groups, and the like, I am curious as to how to combine the two successfully.  I have experienced occasions when a family comes for a visit, and they want their child to stay with them - either because they are uncomfortable sending their child off with strangers, or the child is shy and prefers to stay with mom and dad.  I was hoping to find in  Children In Church  a way to address this topic with future congregations, so that it is not an issue and these families are welcomed warmly.

I am greatly pleased with what I read in the chapters of this book!  I greatly appreciate that the Lovelaces devote a large portion of the book to the Biblical basis for children in the worship service and outlining their belief and understanding of God's Word on this topic.  I feel that the information will help me settle any future concerns that church members might have over children being in the service.  Now that I am finished, I feel equipped to assist a "traditional" church from my denomination in welcoming children into the service - most likely through a monthly family-style worship service, but more importantly, on those Sundays when we are blessed with visitors that need the comfort of staying together as a family. 

Throughout Children In Church, the Lovelaces give loads of helpful ideas and instruction on how to help children to be able to sit in a church service as well as actually get something out of it.  I have heard some of them before, but I love their idea of easing a child into taking notes over time through drawing a picture for them to color based on the sermon, then ending (when they are eventually ready) with them making their own notes.  The tone of the book is gentle, and encourages the reader to find what works for them and their family - and to keep trying, even if the first attempts feel unsuccessful.

Children In Church can be found at http://childreninchurch.com/order/ as an advance reader copy for $12.  The book focuses on parents with younger children, but I think that anyone that loves children would get something out of it.  In my opinion, it should be required reading for anyone involved in church leadership!

***Disclaimer:  I received a digital copy of Children in Church in exchange for my review through the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  All opinions are my own.

TOS Review: Reading Kingdom

When the opportunity arose to try out Reading Kingdom, I was interested to see if it was something that would work for Little Miss.  The minimum suggested age for the lessons is 4 years old, and she just turned 3 a few weeks ago.  I am by no means trying to push her into reading before she is ready, however, she does absolutely love books.  On the Reading Kingdom website I found the following criteria:

• to sit and do school like activities for 15 minutes at a time
• to express ideas in complete sentences
• to match shapes, and
• to use a computer mouse and keyboard (with adult assistance if required)

Little Miss does all these things.  Or, at least, I thought she did.  After I got the log-in information for the site, she sat on my lap and we did the assessment.  It was quickly obvious to me that she does not have the mouse skills necessary to do the lessons on her own.  We resorted to her pointing to the objects on the screen, and me clicking on them.  I didn't influence her at all - if she pointed to the wrong letter, I clicked the wrong letter.  After the assessment was done, the program moved Little Miss into the "Seeing Sequences" portion of the lessons, which look like this:

The "Seeing Sequences" portion will last about 2 weeks, according to the cute little owl mascot that leads you through the program.  Each lesson is meant to be able to be completed in one sitting, but you can pause or even stop a lesson if needed.  Here is where I got a bit confused.  There was no meter that I could see to show the parent how much of the lesson was left, and nothing came up to say that we had finished a lesson.  I stopped the program at what seemed to be a break in the lesson, and went to look at the Reader Report, which shows progress.  It shows Little Miss is 9% done with the "Seeing Sequences" level, but it doesn't say if she's finished a lesson or not.  I did discover, however, that there are optional training exercises for the mouse available through the Reader Report screen!  I believe I will have her work on those before we go any further in the program.

Reading Kingdom is designed to teach children ages 4 to 10 years to read up to a 3rd grade level.  It supposedly teaches all six skills necessary for reading and writing success, including sequencing, motor skills, phonics (phonemic awareness), meaning, grammar and reading comprehension.  The program can be used in conjunction with other reading curriculum or on its own.  It is web-based, so it can be accessed by logging in from any computer (well, any that has internet access!).  

Right now, I don't plan to put too much emphasis on  Reading Kingdom  with Little Miss.  She definitely enjoys it - she loved it when stars or smiley faces appeared when she got the right letters, and was delighted when the letters she got right made a word.  However, I feel like she definitely needs more practice with the mouse.  I also feel like the program could give a preschooler a little more time to respond before it offers hints or moves on.  Maybe Little Miss just needs a slightly longer attention span.  My thoughts right now are to have her do the mouse skills exercises, see how she does, and possibly wait until after Christmas to have her try the reading lessons again.  If she wants to play on the site, I will let her, but I will not force her to.

Reading Kingdom is available as a monthly subscription for $19.99.  If you choose to pay for a full year, it is $199.99.  Additional children are 50% off.  There is also a scholarship option, with details on the website's pricing page.

***Disclaimer:  I received a one year subscription to Reading Kingdom in exchange for my review through the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  All opinions are my own.

TOS Review: Notable Novelists

Notable Novelists is a fun and easy way to introduce your students to influential novelists of the 20th century.  The set of cards is the same size as a standard playing-card deck, so it is easy to keep in a purse, back pack, or the car.  The rules of the game are basically the same as "Go Fish", except you are trying to make sets of three - author card, library card, and bio card - rather than pairs.  We found the illustrations to be appealing caricatures, and my children liked just browsing through the deck and reading about the different writers.

Eighteen different authors are featured.  Unfortunately, many of them are ones I have not read myself, let alone introduced my children to.  While I am using this game to help my children become familiar with the names of the authors and their works, it has sparked a desire in myself to at least try out some of the books listed.  I know not all of them will be my cup of tea, but I am interested in seeing what made these writers the "greats" of recent times.

As I mentioned, Notable Novelists is easy to play - there were no frustrated participants here.  We were playing the game as soon as the cards were shuffled!  I think it would make an excellent game to play on the go, as the only necessary pieces are the cards, and most people will understand the rules immediately.  I would recommend this game for anyone who can play "Go Fish" and read well enough to be able to say the authors names - probably age 8 and up?

If you are looking for a great travel game, a unique stocking stuffer, or a small or educational gift to keep on hand, Notable Novelists may be just the thing for you!  It is available for $10.95.  I'm tempted to get a copy for my brother and his fiancee (they both have masters in library sciences) just for fun!

***Disclaimer:  I received this game in exchange for my review through the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  All opinions are my own.